


The 12 Hookups of Mat Barzal, and the One That Wasn’t Just a Hookup

by Mooresomore



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Mat is a little slutty at International Tournaments, Multiple Hook-Ups, Multiple Pairings, Team Canada
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:51:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mooresomore/pseuds/Mooresomore
Summary: he’d heard about Mat’s “reputation” for hooking up with teammates at international tournaments. (Not that Mat was ashamed or anything; he was pretty sure everyone knew how “slutty” he’d been at prior tournaments; he just didn’t think it was something to poke fun at.)





	The 12 Hookups of Mat Barzal, and the One That Wasn’t Just a Hookup

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> Mat Barzal/anyone
> 
> Mat is a lil slutty and has slept with a lot of the guys and then he finally meets one and he's like 'oh I want to date him'. Would loooove with Thomas Chabot or Mitchell Stephens or maybe even Jordan Eberle
> 
> Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine and mine alone
> 
> Yikes! This got way more out of hand than I thought it was going to. LOL
> 
> And, as always: If you know/are anyone in this fic, turn back now. Please. Completely made up!!
> 
> **Disclaimer:** This is complete and total FICTION. That means it never happened and is completely untrue. In fact, this is so far from the truth that it isn’t even in the same country as the truth. I don’t own anybody, and I make no money off of this. I am not in any way implying said characters’ sexual identities. All knowledge of these people are from public information. All thoughts are my own.

  1.       Anthony Beauvillier



The first time Mat had hooked up with Tito was at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka tournament. It had been nothing more than rushed handjobs, but Mat hadn’t met someone who spoke such fluent French in a long time, so he kept in touch with “Tito” (as Anthony preferred to be called). They had both made the 2014 WJC roster, and this time, chose to “explore” their options a little more. (And while they hadn’t won gold, bronze wasn’t too bad- Mat had let Tito wear the medal during the blow job, and it was all good until Tito leaned up too quick one time and smacked Mat in the head with it.) They went their separate ways.

At the 2015 WJC, they picked up where they had left off; Mat actually let Tito fuck him, after they lost the semifinal game and had to go for 3 rd place again. Mat still didn’t want to get too involved (getting too close to someone in the past had backfired on him), so they called it off.

When they were both drafted by New York in the NHL draft, Mat felt like fate was trying to tell him something. They hooked up quite a bit during training camp, but then Mat got sent back to Seattle, and Tito stayed in New York. Mat knew it was time to cut his losses.

Tito was the one to convince Mat to give things another try in 2017. Mat finally gave in. Things went well for a while, but then being around each other all the time took its toll. Mat finally called it off for good the night they were knocked out of the playoff race.

They both accepted the invite to Worlds; Mat was mostly Tito’s wingman- he did give Tito a proper celebration for his game-winning goal, but also said, “We can’t do this anymore.”

“I know.” Tito agreed. It was like he knew Mat was hung up on someone else, even though Mat had never said anything. “I’m always here for you bro.”

“Thanks.” Mat said. “And this is why I loved you.”

Out of all his hookups, Tito was probably Mat’s favorite (or at least a solid top 3 contender). Mat loved that he and Tito had stayed friends (and teammates) even though things hadn’t worked out between them.

 

  1.       Ethan Bear



When Mat had been drafted to Seattle, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The first person he ran into was Ethan, who immediately made Mat feel like he’d been on the team his whole life.

Which is why it took Mat a while to catch on that Ethan was flirting with him. At first, Mat assumed that a trip to the Space Needle was like a rookie-veteran right of passage, but when Ethan asked Mat to come again (and it was the two of them, and they were having dinner afterwards), Mat started to wonder. Then there were the Mariners game “dates” (a couple of times at Safeco, but mostly on TV at home). The final thing that made it click in Mat’s brain was when they were on a roadie to Portland, and Ethan asked to come to Mat’s room and “watch film” when they got in.

“But you hate film.” Mat said. “Wait, are you wanting to spend time with me? Do you want to ‘date’ me?” The flush on Ethan’s cheeks gave him away. “Aw, Bearsy, all you had to do was ask. Of course.”

That started up a relationship that they were able to keep on the down low until World Juniors 2014. Mat had slipped up and gone to Ethan’s room instead of his own, and when Ethan’s roommate walked in with Ethan, he immediately took note of the “fuck me” eyes Mat and Ethan were giving each other. “I’m… gonna go.”

“I give it 10 minutes.” Mat said, shoving Ethan back on the bed.

“You better be quick then.” Ethan challenged.

(It took 20 minutes before there was banging on the door; they had only needed the 10 minutes.)

After that, they decided to just be a thing in Seattle. It was nice dating a teammate at times, but at other times, it really sucked. Their fights were usually pretty bad, but the makeup sex was awesome.

Mat tried to get Ethan to hook up with him at the 2015 WJC; Ethan wanted no part in it this time. “When we get back to Seattle.”

Ethan was the one to bring Mat home after the “demotion” from New York; he fucked Mat so hard that Mat couldn’t walk the next day.

“This is why you’re my favorite, Bearsy.”

“Welcome home Barzy.”

And they had some pretty amazing Memorial Cup Championship win sex, and then decided to end things on a high note.

 

  1.       Pierre-Luc Dubois



Mat had met Pierre-Luc at the 2017 World Junior Championships; they had ended up being the only two left in the locker room after the first prelim game, and Pierre-Luc seemed to be having a minor panic attack.

“Pierre-Luc, is it? I’m Mat. Can you take a deep breath for me?” Mat worked on getting Pierre-Luc calmed down and then suggested they go out for lunch.

Mat wasn’t sure how “food” had ended up being going back to the room and making out, but Mat wasn’t going to judge. Especially when he’d never been kissed like that before in his life.

They won their next game, so Mat suggested they try it again. They had the same results, so that became their “habit”. The night before the gold medal game, it went a little further (messy handjobs). They didn’t win gold, but they still got silver.

As they packed their things, Mat said, “Don’t be a stranger.”

“You either. And make your move. I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes. Shoot your shot dude.”

“Maybe.” Mat shrugged.

The first thing Pierre-Luc asked when he met up with Mat at the 2018 Worlds was “Did you get your man?”

“No.”

“If you don’t make your move by the end of the tourney, I’ll make it for you.”

Mat shut Pierre-Luc up with a kiss. “What? Seemed to bring us good luck last time.” Mat said.

“Well, I can’t argue with superstitions.”

(The one time they forgot, they ended up losing to the Swiss. Now they’d have to settle for bronze instead of silver or gold.)

“Remember.” Pierre-Luc said after the loss, “You have one more day.”

“I got it.” Mat said. “But thanks for being the best pre-game kisser ever. I won’t forget that.”

 

  1.       Mitch Marner



Like most of Mat’s “bad decisions”, this one was started on a bet by Dylan Strome.

“I dare you to hook up with Marns.”

“But isn’t he dating that Matthews kid? From Team USA?”

“I don’t know.” Dylan said, shit-eating grin on his face. “Loser of the bet has to wear women’s clothes to practice tomorrow.

And dammit, Mat was not going to do that. “Fine. You’re on.”

Mat had gone to Mitch’s room (where Mitch had explained that, yes, he  _ was _ seeing Auston, but they were still free to hook up with others). “So, Stromer put you up to this, huh?”

“Yep.”

“That is a very Dylan thing to do.” Mitch laughed. “Well, let’s put on a show, eh?”

“What?!”

“He’s gonna want proof we actually hooked up. We can take some pics, and I could, uh, give you a hickey?” Mitch suggested.

“Oh. Right, yeah, sure. I guess I should give you one too.”

They “staged” the pictures (and Mat had to admit Mitch was a pretty good kisser); leaving the bite marks on each other was a little awkward, but they got through it (that was honestly one of the most un-sexiest hookups Mat had ever had). Once the evidence had been sent to Dylan (who promptly replied with a middle finger emoji- Mat let Mitch in on the details of the bet), they decided to part ways and never speak of the incident again.

Mat felt like their sixth place finish that year at the World Juniors was a punishment for his and Mitch’s hookup. They decided to never hookup at a tournament again.

Mat helped Mitch figure out ways during the rest of the World Juniors to sneak off and go see Auston. They might not have hooked up anymore, but they stayed friends.

“I’m always here to talk. As a friend.” Mitch said as the tourney wrapped up.

“Thanks Marns. I’ll probably take you up on that offer once I figure things out.”

 

  1.       Dylan Strome



Mat was pretty sure if you looked up “bad decisions” in the dictionary, Dylan Strome’s face would be right there. He had sure been involved in a lot of Mat’s bad decisions at international hockey tournaments.

2014 World Juniors: Mat had let Dylan fuck him; they hadn’t done enough prep work though, and Mat had issues for the rest of the tournament.

2016 World Juniors: The infamous “locked out of our room while naked” debacle. Mat had sworn he would have killed Dylan if the coaches would have let him.

2017 World Juniors: Mat made the mistake of telling Dylan his feelings and crush on a teammate. Dylan teased him mercilessly, and wouldn’t stop (this had actually led to a physical fight between the two of them, some angry sex, and then some make-up sex).

But Dylan had his sweet moments too. Like finding Mat at the 2015 NHL Draft just to say hi, staying in touch (for a bit), and coming up to congratulate mat on winning the Memorial Cup, even though Dylan was disappointed he wasn’t lifting it.

Truth be told, Dylan was an ok guy who just needed to work on his timing a bit.

Dylan was the first one to know about making sure that the door was locked before jacking off; Mat had walked in on it, and, well, instead of turning away, he found himself being pulled in (and then they’d locked eyes), and Mat was on top of Dylan in seconds.

Dylan was also the first one to find out that Mat enjoyed being tied up during sex. That had been an interesting revelation, and Dylan had liked to call Mat “Christian” or “Mr. Grey” sometimes, just to get a rise out of Mat (and see him blush).

Mat had figured out about “Connor and Dylan” before even Connor and Dylan had. Using his awesome matchmaking skills, he got the two of them together, which put an end to him and Dylan (but that was ok; they were both happy, and that was all that mattered).

 

  1.       Dante Fabbro



Dante and Mat went  _ way _ back; they were from the same town and had grown up together.

Dante was the first person (besides Mat’s parents and sister) to know that mat was gay. Dante was the one who was there when Mat’s first boyfriend broke his heart (and Dante was the one who gave the guy a black eye when he started spreading rumors around school about Mat).

Dante was Mat’s first time; it had been so not what Mat was thinking it was going to be, but Dante kept reassuring Mat and taking his time, and it was good.

Mat was the first person Dante called when he found out he was going to the 2017 World Juniors. Mat was the one who suggested they hook up while they were there (and Dante was never one to say “no” to Mat).

“So, tell me, college boy.” Mat said, running a hand through Dante’s hair one night as they were drifting off to sleep. “What’s the NCAA like?”

“It’s pretty cool. Lots of studying, practice, and hockey. Like high school on steroids.” Dante’s laugh reverberated through Mat’s chest. “I wish you had gone that route too- it’d be more fun with you there.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t.” Mat said. “Besides, Boston and New York aren’t really that far apart. When I make it stick with the Islanders, I’ll come visit you. Promise.”

“We’ll have to do a Red Sox-Yankees game.” Dante said. “And make a bet.”

“You’re on.”

Mat was almost asleep when Dante whispered, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything. For trusting me with your orientation secret in HS, letting me be your first time, and for all the things you’ve done for me over the years.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t had you by my side all the time.”

Dante smiled. “Go to sleep ya big sap.”

Mat chuckled. “You too.”

 

  1. Carter Hart



Hooking up with Carter at the 2017 World Juniors was one of the strangest thing Mat could remember doing. It was like they weren’t rivals, and had never been. Mat had initially said “no” when Carter asked- they Everett and Seattle rivalry was still on his mind; Carter had then done some crazy-ass stretch move and told Mat they could go back to “hating” each other afterwards, and Mat had given in. Carter did have a point (and Mat really wanted to see how flexible Carter was- Mat had always heard that sex with a goalie was a mind blowing experience).

Mat still couldn’t get over the Seattle-Everett rivalry thing at first when Carter leaned up for the first kiss; Carter pulled back and said, “Stop thinking. We’re on the same team. It’s not like I want to lock you down.”

Mat laughed so hard tears sprang to his eyes. “Got it Carter. Thanks.” It was like things had clicked into place- this was an one and done thing. No strings. Mat could work with this.

Carter used his “goalie flexibility” to roll them over and pin Mat to the bed (truth be told, Mat kind of let Carter had the upper hand), and then leaned down for another kiss. Mat willingly accepted this one, and before too long, he was pawing at Carter so they could get naked.

“I want you to fuck me.” Carter said, and while it took Mat by surprise, he was definitely on board with that idea.

“Ok, yeah, sure.” Mat got out, feeling like he’d been punched in the chest. He took his time getting Carter ready (he couldn’t break their goalie after all) and then slid in.

“You can move, you know.” Carter said when Mat was still making shallow thrusts in. “I can take it.” To prove his point, Carter stretched one leg up and over Mat’s shoulder on the next thrust and  _ oh _ . That certainly made things a lot different.

“So you really are that flexible.” Mat said as Carter got his other leg up and by his own shoulder. “Damn goalies and your flexibility.”

“Shut up and fuck me Barzal.” Carter grinned. And, well, Mat wasn’t going to tell Carter “no.”

Neither one of them lasted long, and Carter was gone when Mat woke up. They acted like it had never happened for the rest of the tournament.

But honestly, it was some of the best sex of Mat’s life, and he wouldn’t mind doing it again. He wasn’t shy when he told Carter the same thing.

“We’ll see.” Carter said.

They won the silver medal, and Carter came to Mat’s room afterwards. “One more time before we go back to being rivals?”

“Sure.” Mat grinned.

Again, it was some pretty awesome sex (and how in the hell was Carter that flexible? Mat got leg cramps just looking at the positions Carter was assuming). As they cleaned up, Carter said, “You know, I wouldn’t mind staying in touch when we get back. Everett and Seattle aren’t that far apart.”

“No, they’re not.” Mat agreed. “Yeah, I think that’s ok.”

(It kind of turned into a “friends with benefits” thing, which slowly fizzled out, but Carter was the one Mat trusted to keep his secret safe- when Mat had finally been ready to admit his feelings.)

They always said keep your friends close and your enemies closer; Mat liked to think he and Carter were “frenemies”, so he kept Carter close by.

 

  1. Dillon Dubé



Mat wasn’t quite sure what to think about Dillon the first time he met him at the 2017 World Junior Championship; the hardest thing to figure out was if Dillon was joking or not when he said he’d heard about Mat’s “reputation” for hooking up with teammates at international tournaments. (Not that Mat was ashamed or anything; he was pretty sure everyone knew how “slutty” he’d been at prior tournaments; he just didn’t think it was something to poke fun at). Then Dillon had said, “You know, I don’t care. I was actually wondering how you do it and not ‘catch feelings’ or whatever.”

“I’ve caught them a few times.” Mat admitted. “But most of the time, you never see each other except for the tourneys. I tried the long-distance thing, but it’s never worked out for me.”

“Can you, uh, show me how it’s done?” Dillon asked.

“What? Like teach you know to hook up with your teammates?”

“Yeah.” Dillon blushed. “If not, that’s cool too.”

“No, it’s ok. Just, I’ve never been asked that before.” Mat said. “It’s probably easier to show you.”

“Ok.” Dillon said.

“I mean, hit on me and I’ll help you out.” Mat clarified.

“Oh.” Dillon flushed. “Hi, I’m Dillon.”

“Mat.”

“So,” Dillon paused. “I actually don’t know where to go from here.”

“Alright.” They had a lot to work on here. Mat gave Dillon a bunch of pointers and suggestions, and they tried again. This time, it ended with them both naked in the bed, so Mat figured he’d taught Dillon the right stuff.

Dillon hit on Mat all on his own a couple of days later; Mat was pleased on how well Dillon had absorbed all the information Mat had given him.

(And when Mat got a thank you text from Dillon when Dillon got back to Kelowna, Mat figured out why Dillon had needed his help).

_ Get it! :)  _ Mat wrote.

_ You get your man too. _ Dillon wrote back.  _ I know you can do it :) _

Well, maybe Mat would give it a shot. Apparently, his skills weren’t too bad.

 

  1. Taylor Raddysh



Plain and simple: the only reason Mat had hooked up with Taylor Raddysh was because of Dylan Strome. Not that there was anything wrong with Taylor- he just wasn’t Mat’s type.

Mat had gone to Dylan’s room, intending to hook up with him; when Dylan had answered the door, Mat could tell he wasn’t alone. “I’ll, uh, come back.”

“No, it’s cool. Me and Taylor were just talking anyway.” Dylan said. “Come on in.”

Mat sat down on the edge of the bed, unsure of what he and Taylor had in common besides hockey (and Dylan). Fortunately, Taylor didn’t seem that talkative either.

Dylan excused himself to go to the bathroom; Taylor waited until he heard the door close before he shyly said, “Dylan tells me you’re a good kisser.”

“I’ve been told that, yes.” Mat said.

“Can, you, uh, kiss me? So I can see what all the hype’s about?” Taylor’s cheeks were tomato red and his voice was barely above a whisper.

Mat climbed up the bed and settled himself in Taylor’s lap. He got his hands on the sides of Taylor’s face and then leaned in and kissed Taylor.

They were mid makeout when Dylan came back. “Don’t let me interrupt boys.” He chuckled ad they broke apart.

“Um.” Taylor said at the same time Mat said, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I gotta call Connor anyway.” Dylan said. “You know how long that can take.” He winked at Taylor and Mat. “Have fun boys. Don’t stay up too late.” With that, Dylan was gone, and it was just Taylor and Mat in the room.

“You wanna pick up where we left off?” Mat asked.

“Yes please.”

It was nothing more than a lengthy makeout session, but Mat couldn’t complain. He hadn’t had one of those in a long time. “Thanks.” Mat said as he left Taylor and Dylan’s room.

“Thank you.” Taylor said. “10/10 would kiss again.” He added, just to get Mat to laugh.

(Sometimes, Dylan was a decent matchmaker. If Mat wasn’t so hung up on someone else, he could have seen trying things out with Taylor.)

 

  1.       Jordan Eberle



It had started as “hero worship” really’ Mat had watched Jordan play and thought,  _ I want to be like him. _ Then Jordan had gotten traded to the Islanders; Mat would’ve been lying if he said he didn’t “fanboy” for a couple days.

Mat wasn’t looking to hook up with Jordan at first, but it kind of happened anyway They were celebrating Mat’s 5-assist night (and Jordan was the one smuggling Mat most of the alcohol), and when Jordan had offered to drive Mat home, Mat had accepted quickly.

“Uh, Jordan, this isn’t the Seidenberg’s house.” Mat said, slightly slurred.

“I know. I thought you could stay with me. Don’t want the kids to see you like this.” Jordan said, and he did have a point there.

“Ok. Yeah.”

“I already told Dennis.” Jordan said when Mat went to reach for his phone. “He was ok with it.”

“Oh.”

“Come on.” Jordan said, “I have some clothes I think you can wear.” Mat followed Jordan to his bedroom, and it was like instinct took over.

Mat found himself pinning Jordan down to the bed and initiating a filthy kiss; Jordan for his part, kissed back just as dirty, and from there, clothes were being peeled off and flung to every corner of the room

Jordan rolled them over; Mat was going to complain, but Jordan left a bruise on Mat’s neck, and one on his inner thigh and said, “Gotta reward you rookie”. Well, Mat wasn’t going to argue there.

Afterwards, Jordan got Mat some clothes. When Mat looked down, he saw the Oilers logo and the “14” on the chest. “Um.”

“You look good in my shirt.” Jordan said, holding up the blankets. “Come on, let’s get some rest.”

They tried the dating thing (Mat was trying to figure out how to play in the NHL and be a good boyfriend too- he figured Jordan was the perfect person to try it out with). It didn’t work out, and Jordan ended up back with his ex.

At the 2018 World Championships, they had one night were they hooked up, but otherwise, nothing happened.

“Make your move.” Jordan said as he saw Mat staring.

“But what if he says no?”

“You’ll never know if you don’t ask.” Jordan said. “I’ll always be here.”

“Thanks Jordan.”

 

  1.       Mitchell Stephens



Mat would have been lying if he said that he and Mitchell hooking up was nothing more than convenience. They just usually happened to be in the same place at the same time. It meant nothing.

2014 Ivan Hlinka: Mat had been stood up by Stromer. Mitchell came, and they went back to Mat’s room together.

2014 World Juniors: They had mistakenly stumbled into each other’s rooms. They made out before passing out in bed together.

2015 World Juniors: Mat had gotten upset over something stupid, and no one could calm him down, until Mitchell came and sat down by Mat. He didn’t say a word, but when he touched Mat’s hand, Mat knew exactly what he wanted (they traded blowies that night, and Mat was in a much better mood the next morning).

2016 World Juniors: The tournament they all wanted to forget. Mitchell was the one who held Mat that night as he bawled about the sixth place finish. They didn’t hook up, but just knowing that Mitchell was there helped ease Mat’s mind a little.

2017 World Juniors: Mitchell was the one to come up to Mat and ask if they could fuck; apparently, they were both hung up on other people, and this seemed like a pretty good option. They didn’t talk about it afterwards.

Mitchell was just getting ready to head home when he caught Mat. “You know, he really likes you. You should go talk to him. Before it’s too late.”

“Who?” Mat tried to play it off.

“You know who Barzal.”

“But what if…”

“He won’t. Trust me.”

Mat was still skeptical. “Kiss for good luck?” he asked instead.

“Sure.” They shared a kiss and then Mitchell said, “Text me later. Let me know how it goes.”

“Deal.”

“Mat still hadn’t texted a week after they got back; when Mitchell had texted Mat, Mat admitted to chickening out.

_ Mathew Barzal, grow a pair and get your man.  _ That seemed to be the push Mat needed.

Mitchell was the first one Mat texted afterwards, the  _ I told you so _ made Mat laugh.

 

  1.       Connor McDavid



When Mat had learned he was going to be playing with Connor McDavid, he was a little more than excited, to say the least. He was in awe of Connor’s playing style.

Connor had been one of the first ones to welcome him to Denmark; they had a “team meeting” when Connor laid down some “rules about hooking up”. (He wanted to be a good captain and make sure his boys were safe.)

“You can’t tell me you don’t hook up.” Mat said when everyone else left.

“Nope. I don’t.”

“Fine. That’s my mission then. To hook up with you before we leave.”

“You’re not gonna be successful, but knock yourself out.” Connor said.

_ Game on. _ Mat thought.

It started off simple- compliments that would make Connor blush, and innuendos that Connor never seemed to react to. Mat figured he was going to have to go 0-60 here if he had a chance.

He waited until they were the only two left in the locker room before he went over and kissed Connor on the mouth. To his surprise, Connor kissed back and said, “My room. Ten minutes. Don’t be late.”

“Aye aye captain.” Mat said, laughing as Connor flipped him off, smile wide.

“I thought you didn’t hook up.” Mat said, as they both collapsed back on the bed, panting.

“I don’t. This was a one and done. Won’t happen again.” Connor paused. “You should go talk to Chabot though.”

“What?!” Mat asked. “There’s… we’re… he’s not…”

“Just go talk to him, ok? Take that leap of faith. Trust me, you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Mat said.

“Good. Now get out of my room.” Connor smiled softly, but his tone of voice left no room for argument.

“Yes sir.” Mat teased.

 

+1:  Thomas Chabot

Mat hadn’t heard much about this Thomas Chabot kid until 2015, but when he got to understand the hype (and actually play with the dude), he found that “Chabby” (as Thomas preferred to be called), was a really neat guy (and pretty cute too).

They were at the 2015 NHL draft together, and played together at the 2015 World Juniors. Mat was too shy to ask Chabby any questions (or hook up with him), so they went their separate ways.

At the 2017 World Junior Championship, Mat had done a lot of hooking up. Chabby was one of those hookups, but Mat couldn’t help but feel like there was a potential for  _ more _ with Chabby. Like, Mat didn’t have dreams that night after the sex about any of the other guys like he did Chabby. (And that happened each time after they hooked up; it was like Mat was seeing snippets of the future, if he and Chabby were to get together).

Chabby was the only one Mat would let stay the night (and the only one who got to cuddle with Mat post-sex). Chabby was the only one who brought Mat coffee in the morning, and he was the only one to offer to clean them up before Mat could mention anything. Chabby also never questioned Mat’s musical tastes.

Mat was still too chickenshit to do anything though (even with many of his teammates nudging him), so nothing happened. It was just hooking up throughout the tournament, and then radio silence.

It didn’t mean Mat didn’t wonder what it would be like to have Chabby as a boyfriend. Or just a boyfriend in general. The hookup thing was getting kind of old. Mat wanted someone he could just talk to and have that consistency. But, until he could grow a pair and talk to Chabby, nothing was going to happen.

Then, there was 2018 Worlds. Mat was still trying to figure out what to do/ how to have a serious conversation, so he resorted to what he knew best: meaningless hookups with his Team Canada teammates. He had hooked up with fewer teammates this time, but they all kept telling him to talk to Chabby. Tito (Anthony Beauvillier) helped speed everything along.

When Mat saw the picture of Tito and Chabby together, there was this fiery feeling in his chest. It took Mat a few minutes to realize it was jealousy he was feeling, but when he did, he knew immediately how to fix the situation.

_ U in ur room?  _ He texted Chabby.

_ Yeah. _

_ Alone? _

_ Yes. _

_ I’ll b there in a min.  _ Mat wasn’t  quite sure what to say, but he knew he’d figure something out.

When Chabby opened the door, Mat blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. “I don’t want you dating anyone else.”

“Come inside.” Chabby said. “Let’s start this from the beginning.”

Mat came in and sat on the edge of the bed; Chabby sat down alongside Mat. “So, I’ve had the hugest crush on you for like, ever, but I didn’t know how to tell you, or do anything about it. So I just hooked up with you and pretended you were just another one of the boys. But you weren’t. You’re more. Like, the ‘I want to date you’ more. I saw that picture with you and Tito, and I-” Mat paused. “I don’t want you taking bed pictures like that with anyone else.” Mat finished in a rush.

“Mathew, are you jealous?” Chabby had a smile on his face, which took the sting out of his words.

“Maybe.” Mat quietly answered, cheeks reddening. It’s just…”

“Took you long enough.” Chabby laughed.

“Excuse me?!” Mat asked.

“Jesus, I was throwing you all these signs when we hooked up, and you never picked up on them. I hate coffee, but I got it for you every time because I know you can’t live without it. I’m a horrible cuddler, but I made it work for you.” Chabby chuckled. “Of course though, it’s the bed picture that gets you to tell me your feelings. My next step was declaring it on ice during warm ups.”

“Seriously?” Mat didn’t think he was that bad at reading flirting clues, but maybe he was.

“Yep. Hang on.” Chabby got up and went to his closet, where he pulled out a piece of paper that had a bright pink heart on it. Mat looked closer and saw that Chabby had written  _ I’m tired of ‘pucking’ around. Can we quit ‘dekeing’ around the issue and actually date? _

“Oh my gosh.” Mat said. “You were gonna give that to me on ice?”

“Yeah.” Chabby said. “I didn’t know what else to do. Flowers aren’t really your style.”

“Nope.” Mat laughed. “Well, now that I don’t have to hide things, Chabby, do you want to date? It’s gonna take some work, but we can work on logistics during the offseason?”

“Yes, I’ll date you.” Chabby said, pushing Mat backwards on the bed.

They had some amazing sex (two rounds, actually, if Mat wanted to brag), and then started working on a “dating plan”.

After Worlds were done, Mat said, “We should get together this summer sometime. Even if it’s just for a day. You know, for like a real “date” that’s not hockey related.”

“That sounds nice. When we get home, we can coordinate our schedules?”

“Deal.”

Mat was glad he’d found “the one”.


End file.
